Serendipity
by mhwright
Summary: Hibari catches the flu and unwillingly exposes a much more vulnerable side of himself to his boyfriend. Side work to Come Together, established relationship


Literally just a sickfic - obviously Hibari is completely incapable of taking care of himself. Mostly fluff with some real relationship moments.

XXXX

The first indicator that something was wrong to Tsuna was when Tsuna woke up next to Hibari in the middle of the night. It wasn't completely out of the ordinary for Hibari to crash at Tsuna's house, or even to come in late. But this specific combination of crawling into Tsuna's bed in the middle of the night while Tsuna was sleeping was...odd.

The second indicator to Tsuna was that Hibari was _ burning up _ . Normally it was Tsuna who practically radiated heat, something that Hibari seemed to actually enjoy. But _ now _?

Hibari was tossing and turning in his sleep, kicking off the blankets. Tsuna sat up on his elbows, looking at the restless figure next to him. He frowned, and leaned to place a hand against Hibari's forehead. The skylark was both radiating heat and clammy to the touch at the same time.

Hibari made a noise and twisted over to Tsuna, one eye cracking open. Tsuna gently stroked his boyfriend's hair.

"Are you okay?" Hibari just made another noise. "You're not feeling well, are you?"

"Ngh..'m fine." The dark-haired boy muttered, nevertheless leaning into Tsuna's touch. "...'m goin' back to sleep."

"Are you sure you should be going to school tomorrow?" Tsuna whispered. Hibari didn't answer. Tsuna just sighed and continued to stroke his boyfriend's hair until his breathing settled.

The next day, when Tsuna woke up, Hibari had already crawled out of the bed and disappeared. Tsuna texted him, but Hibari never answered. He was a little worried about his boyfriend; he knew that if he really _ was _ sick, there was no one to take care of him at home. And that Hibari certainly wouldn't take adequate care of himself. He had already resolved himself to go to Nami High after school and check up on him when he got the message from Kusakabe, admitting that "Kyo-san hasn't been himself today."

As it turned out, that meant that Hibari had gone to sleep face-down on his desk at 12:30 and had not moved since.

Tsuna stifled a laugh when Kusakabe led him into Hibari's office. Hibari had his arms curled around his head and Tsuna could hear him breathing.

Hibari sounded _ terrible _.

"Sorry to bother you, Tsuna." The vice chairman apologized. "But he doesn't seem like he's doing too well."

"Not asleep..." Came the mutter from the desk. Tsuna snorted and walked over to Hibari. He put one hand on the skylark's back; the back of his shirt was damp from what Tsuna assumed to be sweat.

Tsuna instantly felt bad for laughing at Hibari. He reached up to touch his boyfriend's equally sweaty hair, Hibari groaning as he did.

"Aw, Kyo." He murmured, rubbing Hibari's back gently.

"My skin hurts." Hibari muttered. He _ definitely _ had the flu.

"Should I stop?" Tsuna asked, still rubbing circles through Hibari's shirt.

"...No." Tsuna leaned in and kissed Hibari's temple.

"Let's get you home, huh?" Tsuna offered. Hibari groaned, but as Tsuna gently pulled on his shoulders, began to sit up. "Tetsuya, would you mind using the van to take us to his house?" Tetsuya smiled back softly.

XXXX

Hibari's house was...odd, Tsuna decided. He was walking back from the grocery store, up the front path. Once Tetsuya had helped Tsuna get the chairman inside, Tsuna had gotten Hibari situated in his bed and had gone to get ingredients for soup, as well as some bread, crackers, and ginger ale in case Hibari got nauseous. If this was anything like the flu Yamamoto had, it was about to get a lot worse before it got better. And the only way Hibari was going to let anyone help him, it seemed, was if he was too sick to do anything about it. Tsuna had made a quiet suggestion in the van about going to see a doctor and the skylark had buried his face in Tsuna's neck, muttering, "no doctor" before going silent for the next ten minutes.

But Hibari's house really _ was _ odd.

As far as Tsuna could tell, no one else lived there except for the skylark and the Hibari family butler, who Tsuna only knew as Zhao. When he tried to get more information from the tall, older man, the butler had only glared at him and turned away.

Truly, a man who was destined to work for the Hibaris.

The house...really, the _ estate _, was immaculately clean. It was styled like a traditional Japanese home for the most part. Tsuna had only been into the front hall, the kitchen, what seemed like a common room, and Hibari's bedroom. But he had seen so many long, dark hallways that piqued his curiosity.

Even Hibari's room was dark, barely lived in. It was big, for certain, with a king-sized bed and what seemed to Tsuna like fine, embroidered linens. They certainly _ felt _ fine. There seemed to be some kind of mural on the walls, but Hibari had buried his head under a pillow when Tsuna tried to raise the lights past dim, so he couldn't really make it out in the dark.

That was _ also _ an indicator for Tsuna of luxury; the lights in the bedroom had a _ dimmer _ . It was _ exciting _.

Tsuna and Nana had never been living paycheck to paycheck as far as Tsuna knew, but the Sawada abode was humble.

Not that Tsuna was really sure _ why _ . His father _ was _ an adviser to the most powerful mafia boss in the world. It was reasonable to assume that Iemitsu made a pretty penny in that role.

Tsuna was _ welcomed _ into the house by Zhao. If you could call the unreadable expression on his face as he opened the door for the shorter boy _ welcoming _. Tsuna slid off his shoes by the door as he stepped in.

"Thank you, Zhao-san." Tsuna said.

"Are these for Kyoya-sama?" Zhao demanded to know. He was _ much _ taller than Tsuna, so tall that he towered over him. He had dark eyes and dark hair that was peppered with grey, cropped short with a neatly trimmed beard to match. Tsuna nodded in response.

"I thought I would pick up some things to make soup." Tsuna said. Zhao sniffed.

"One of my duties in this household is to purchase and provide fare for the inhabitants." Tsuna couldn't tell if Zhao was offended or not.

"Um, sorry." Tsuna said sheepishly. "I didn't realize." Zhao held out a hand. Tsuna wasn't sure what he wanted.

"The _ bag _." Zhao said impatiently.

Tsuna felt _ monumentally _ stupid.

"Um, it's okay. I can take it to the kitchen." Tsuna gripped it tighter and slipped past the intimidating butler. He took it the industrial size kitchen, that was all marble countertops and stainless steel appliances. It was beautiful, and Tsuna could really enjoy himself making a meal in there on another occasion. Tsuna started unpacking, placing the items in the fridge. There was some fresh produce, which Tsuna had taken note of before he went shopping, but not everything Tsuna needed.

"Put that down." The order came from behind him, and Tsuna jumped, turning to see Zhao again. Tsuna squeaked in surprise. "The groceries. Put them down." Tsuna set the bag down on the counter.

"I can really-,"

"This is my responsibility." Zhao snapped. "I will finish putting the food away." Tsuna nodded back silently, backing away. He opened a cabinet to grab a cup to bring some water to Hibari. He would need to stay hydrated. "What are you looking for?" Zhao wanted to know.

"Uh, a cup. For water." Zhao reached over Tsuna and opened a different cabinet, pulling out an ornate crystalline glass. Tsuna had been hoping for something more like a plastic cup, but he supposed those did not exist within the Hibari household. Zhao filled it from the fridge and handed it to Tsuna.

"Um, I'm going to go check on Kyo." Tsuna said, gesturing away. Zhao sniffed again.

"You speak so informally of Kyoya-sama." Zhao said. His tone was _ entirely _ unreadable. Tsuna just nodded and scampered off. He wasn't sure what Zhao understood of their relationship; it's not like he could picture Hibari having a long conversation with the man about Tsuna. And Tsuna had only been to the door of the house before, never inside.

Tsuna slipped into Hibari's bedroom. The dark violet comforter was pulled back, the bedding rumpled on one side where Hibari had been laying. The bathroom door was propped open, the light from inside streaming out along the opening, gently illuminating the room. Tsuna could see the mural of birds taking flight against the walls and the embroidery on the comforter.

And then Tsuna heard the sound of retching.

He poked his head into the bathroom.

"Kyo-, holy _ shit _."

The bathroom was _ huge _, all white marble trimmed with dark cabinets. There were plants placed around the room, shoots of bamboo right next to the door. There were some marble steps that led up to a massive bathtub, mahogany shelves above the bathtub against the sparkling backsplash. There were various plants, small towels, and fancy soaps and bath items Tsuna was certain had never been used. Next to it was a shower stall, the interior slightly darker with frosted glass. It looked large enough to comfortably fit four people inside, even with a bench. That looked a little more lived in, with a shampoo and conditioner set on the bench. The conditioner was laying on its side, as if someone had been there earlier that day.

What was really striking Tsuna about the ultra-wealthy nature of Hibari's upbringing was the utilitarian ways of the teenager he knew. Hibari would just sleep on random _ roofs _ if the fancy struck him. Even Tsuna, who had grown up in a _ much _ more modest household, had some comforts that he didn't think he would want to live without. Like a _ bed _.

"Get out." Hibari muttered, gripping the toilet he was slumped next to it, his head settled on the seat. He was pale and shaky. Tsuna set the glass of water down on the counter and settled down next to Hibari. "I mean it. Get out." Tsuna snaked one arm around his boyfriend's midriff; he could feel his body trembling. Tsuna used the other to push the hair out of Hibari's face, leaning in and kissing his sweaty temple. His boyfriend smelled like sweat and bile, but Tsuna ignored it.

"Do you think you're gonna throw up again?" Tsuna asked.

"What're you...doing.." Hibari looked exhausted and nauseous.

"Taking care of you." Tsuna said.

"...'m fine..." Tsuna snorted and hugged him a little tighter. "...get out." Tsuna was sure Hibari felt humiliated, wrapped around a toilet with his tiny boyfriend holding his hair out of his face, but Tsuna wasn't about to leave him. Hibari was really _ sick _; Tsuna could feel his fever.

Hibari made a noise in his throat and pressed his lips together, jerking his head up from the seat.

"It's okay." Tsuna said. He stroked his hair. "Just let it happen."

Hibari retched into the toilet; he had already thrown up what might have been in his stomach and it was just yellow bile now. It went for a couple of minutes, his body trembling. Tsuna held him the whole time.

After he was done, at least for a little while, Tsuna felt the skylark reluctantly settled against him, leaning more into Tsuna's arms. Tsuna kissed his temple again and slowly extracted himself. The brief look of panic on Hibari's face when Tsuna started to move away made his heart melt, just a little.

"I'm getting you some water." Hibari shook his head, swallowing uncomfortably. There was a little bit of bile on his lips, so Tsuna pulled some toilet paper off the roll and wiped it off Hibari's face. "You have to drink some water." Tsuna grabbed it and settled back down next to his boyfriend, presenting it to him.

"...'m gonna throw it up." Hibari admitted sluggishly.

"You probably will; but if you don't you'll throw up anyways. It'll just hurt. And you need to try and stay hydrated." Tsuna held it to Hibari's lips insistently. "Drink." He ordered. Hibari eyed Tsuna

"Tsu-," Tsuna pressed it to Hibari's lips again, and Hibari unwillingly opened his mouth, one hand coming up to grip the glass. Tsuna didn't let go of it though; the skylark's hands were shaking and he didn't want him to drop it. Hibari took some slow sips; Tsuna forced him to drink about a quarter of the glass, until Hibari closed his eyes and shook his head. Tsuna set it to the side as his boyfriend resumed his position against the toilet, breathing heavily.

He threw up a few more times after that, Tsuna forcing him to drink the water in between. Finally, after they went a while without him vomiting, Hibari settled against the shower stall, breathing heavily with his knees propped up and his head downward.

"Do you still feel nauseous?" His head bobbed. "I'm going to go grab you something; I'll be right back." Tsuna assured him, gently touching Hibari's leg. He went and grabbed the ginger ale and saltines, almost running into Zhao on his way back.

"Is it your intention to eat _ that _?" Zhao sounded disgusted when he saw what was in Tsuna's hands.

"Um, they're for Kyoya. He's feeling nauseous still." Tsuna squeaked out, before slipping away. When he came back, he uncapped the ginger ale and pressed it into Hibari's pale hand. His boyfriend lifted his head to look at it curiously.

"Soda?" He murmured.

"It'll help settle your stomach." Tsuna promised. "Just take a few sips." Tsuna opened up a pack of saltines, pulling one of them out. Hibari groaned and tilted his head back against the glass. Tsuna pushed the ginger ale in the chairman's hand towards his mouth. "Drink it."

Hibari took a few slow sips, apprehensive. When he lowered it, Tsuna pressed the saltine to his lips, which Hibari immediately pressed shut.

"Eat the saltine." Tsuna said. Hibari eyed Tsuna, but allowed the younger boy to feed him the cracker. It took a while; Hibari would periodically get waves of nausea and had to close his eyes and set his head back. It was about twenty minutes of Tsuna feeding him saltines and making him drink ginger ale before the nausea passed. Tsuna leaned forward and cupped Hibari's face in one hand, tilting his boyfriend's head towards him. He felt his forehead with the back of his hand. Tsuna frowned. "You're still burning up."

There was a knock at the door.

"Kyoya-sama, may I enter?" Hibari just nodded, closing his eyes.

"Um, he says yes!" Tsuna called back. Hibari rested his head against Tsuna's hand. The door creaked open and Zhao stepped in. It was obvious that Hibari had been throwing up; there was even some bile that had dripped down onto his shirt and stained it.

"What can I do, Kyoya-sama?" Zhao demanded to know.

"Whatever Tsunayoshi needs." Hibari slurred. Zhao looked determinedly at Tsuna. Tsuna felt uncomfortable asking for something, but felt like had to.

"Um, could you grab a change of clothes for Kyoya? Something comfortable, that he can sleep in." Tsuna felt his face flush. Zhao nodded.

"The food you bought. Would you like me to prepare it?" Tsuna would prefer to follow his own recipe, but he figured Zhao could start it.

"Could you clean and season the chicken? And then get a big soup pot and use some olive oil, onions, and garlic and cook the chicken in the bottom. I can get it from there."

"This is for chicken noodle soup, correct?" Tsuna nodded in response.

"Yeah, just start it in like, 15 minutes. I'm going to get him showered and changed first."

"Yes." Zhao nodded sharply and turned on his heel, closing the door gently behind him. When Tsuna turned back, Hibari was looking up at him with half lidded eyes.

"You're gonna get sick." He murmured.

"Jokes on you, I can't get sick." Tsuna said. He reached out and started unbuttoning Hibari's shirt. He leaned up and slid the shower door open, getting up just to fiddle with the mechanism to turn the water on, and get it on an appropriate temperature, giving it time to heat up. He bent back down to help his boyfriend get undressed, before he had a thought. "Can you get your pants off by yourself?" Hibari immediately flushed red in embarrassment. Tsuna pressed his lips together, and leaned forward to kiss his boyfriend on the forehead. "Kyo, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. You're _ really _ sick. This is the flu." Tsuna extracted himself and went to grab Hibari's toothbrush from the counter, wetting it and putting some toothpaste on it. He brought it back as Hibari wriggled out of his pants, clearly unhappy and embarrassed. He looked up at Tsuna as Tsuna held it out to him, taking it with a shaky hand.

As he brushed his teeth and tried not to look at Tsuna, Tsuna pulled his pants all the way off.

"Let's get you up." He said, hooking an arm under Hibari's shoulder. Hibari was burning up, both from his fever, and the embarrassment. The skylark was shaky on his feet, and when he initially stood up, almost collapsed completely. He was kind of bent over in an odd way, body trembling. When they were about ready to step in, Tsuna hooked one of his fingers on the band of Hibari's boxers. His boyfriend made a noise. Tsuna fought the urge to laugh. It wasn't like he hadn't seen Hibari's dick before, but his boyfriend seemed unhappy about the deeply unsexy context this time around. "You're not showering in your boxers." Tsuna said, pressing a kiss to Hibari's shoulder and pulling them down in one swift motion. Hibari reluctantly stepped out of them and into the shower.

Tsuna stepped in with him, ignoring the water that was spraying from multiple showerheads and helping Hibari to the floor of the shower. He was certain if he let him go, Hibari would collapse to the ground. Once he helped him down, Tsuna stepped out and stripped down to just his pants. He sat on the edge of the stall, leaving the door open. Hibari looked at him unhappily from inside, naked and uncomfortable, the toothbrush sticking out of his mouth. He pulled it out and reluctantly spat the toothpaste down the shower drain, setting his toothbrush on the bench.

Tsuna laughed a little, and reached an arm out to Hibari.

"Just relax. You can lay down on the shower floor." Hibari slowly moved to the ground at a painstaking speed, wincing. Tsuna remembered him saying his skin hurt. He laid so that his head was close to Tsuna. Tsuna reached out and stroked his now-wet hair.

"Aw, Kyo. Does this feel better?" Hibari nodded quietly, closing his eyes. Tsuna stayed like that with him, for a while. At one point, he heard Zhao moving in Hibari's room, likely setting out the clothes for him. After about fifteen minutes, Tsuna pulled his hand back to go get the clothes for Hibari. Hibari opened his eyes and peered up at him, still half-lidded and sluggish.

"..Tsu.." He could barely get Tsuna's name out.

"I'll be right back. I'm just going to get your clothes and to check on the soup." Tsuna pulled on his shirt and went to the kitchen first, taking note of what looked like a pair of sweatpants and a pajama shirt on the bed, folded neatly. Zhao had also remade the bed, it seemed.

The kitchen smelled good; Zhao had taken off the chicken and was currently chopping some of the vegetables. Tsuna washed his hands and immediately got to work on the rest of the soup, setting it up. It only took him a few minutes, but the soup would need to simmer for a while once the rest of the ingredients were in.

"How is Kyoya-sama?" Zhao asked quietly.

"He's okay." Tsuna said, as he added ingredients, turning up the head a little. "He needs to rest and stay hydrated." When he was finished, he turned back to the butler. "When you're done with those, can you add it and cover the pot?" Zhao nodded.

Tsuna headed back, grabbing the clothes off the bed and slipping back into the bathroom. He was pretty sure Hibari was almost asleep on the shower floor. He opened up the stall, reaching in to gently touch his boyfriend's head.

"Kyo, time to get up." Hibari slowly sat up, wincing. Tsuna stripped off his shirt again and leaned in to help him up, grabbing a fluffy towel off the rack. He helped wrap him in it as Hibari slowly stepped out, leaning heavily on Tsuna. He buried his face in Tsuna's neck. "Feel better?"

"Mhm."

It took a little while to get Hibari back into some clothes and back into bed, but Hibari was fast asleep the moment he did, Tsuna tucking him into bed. He set some water next to the bed, as well as grabbing the trash can from the bathroom in case that was needed too.

When that was all done, Tsuna sitting on the bed next to him for a little while, playing with his hair and making sure he was settled, he went back to the kitchen to finish up the soup. Hibari would need to eat something, especially since he was definitely already dehydrated and had thrown up whatever he had eaten earlier.

Zhao was still in the kitchen, eyeing Tsuna apprehensively when he walked in. There was dead silence as Tsuna worked on the soup nervously, not sure of what to say to the intimidating older man.

"You care for him." Zhao finally broke the silence. "You are...together." Tsuna nodded.

"Yes. I do. And uh, we are. For a while now, I guess." Almost a year, actually.

"He has mentioned your name, Sawada Tsunayoshi." Zhao said. "That is rare for Kyoya-sama." Tsuna could not even begin to imagine the kind of conversations that took place between both relatively silent men. Tsuna loved Hibari, but he was _ stoic _, for sure.

It was funny to think, though Tsuna hadn't said it out loud to Hibari. He didn't know if Hibari was ready for that degree of emotional intimacy yet. Though, the fact that Tsuna had just dragged Hibari naked, nauseous, covered in his own vomit, into the shower made Tsuna think they were about to be a lot closer. It wasn't like their relationship was wrought with sexual tension in the first place, but if there was any thought in anyone's mind that it was just physical attraction bringing the two of them together, they could dispel it.

And even though Hibari hadn't said it either, Tsuna had no doubt in his mind that Hibari loved him. Sure, Hibari wasn't into romantic gestures. He didn't send elaborate flower arrangements, or sweep him off his feet for a kiss. Not like Iemitsu did for Tsuna's mother, when he bothered to show up or give his family a second thought. But Hibari was _ there _ . He was _ present _ . And Tsuna knew he did things for Tsuna in his own way. Like how he hated to text, but now that Hibari was at Nami High and they didn't see each other during the school day, he texted Tsuna every day. Or that he couldn't stand loud crowds, but came to Tsuna's ridiculous chaotic house and held Lambo on his lap quietly so Tsuna could work on his homework. Or that Hibari didn't like to smile at _ all _, but he smiled for Tsuna.

Hibari was Tsuna's companion in his ridiculous, chaotic life. And after being so _ lonely _ for so long, that was exactly what Tsuna wanted. In a lot of ways, his relationship was the exact opposite of his parents.

"He's important to me. And I know I'm important to him." Tsuna said quietly, stirring the pot. He set a timer on the stove and leaned back against the counter. He gathered the courage to ask a question that he had wanted to know for a while. "Are Kyoya's parents ever around?"

"Now and again, they visit." Zhao answered. "The Hibari family has a different way of raising their children."

"When did they leave?" Tsuna asked quietly. Zhao narrowed his eyes.

"They did not abandon Kyoya-sama. They resumed their lives and took a step back when he began to strike out on his own and command Namimori." Zhao informed him loftily. "It is the Hibari way, to allow their members to become independent and self-sufficient. If their presence was necessary for him at any point, they would come."

"But he's sick." Tsuna said. "Wouldn't now be the time?"

"They have been apprised of the situation." Zhao sniffed. "They do not feel they are needed or that he would want them here at this point."

"He's sick." Tsuna responded. "He might not be able to ask for them if he needs them."

"He has his selected companion." Zhao said, like it was obvious. Tsuna blinked. "_ You _."

"They know who I am?" Tsuna felt like he was missing something. Zhao was getting irritated with him.

"Kyoya-sama has mentioned your name to me. I believe he has spoken about you in greater detail to his parents. They asked if you were here. I informed them that you were, and that you had a handle on the situation. If you really _ must _ know."

"Oh." Hibari talked about him? To his _ parents _ ? To his _ mother _? Maybe Hibari was more comfortable with emotional intimacy than he thought. "Do they..approve?" Zhao huffed.

"Do you always ask so many _ questions _?"

XXXX

Tsuna climbed up onto the bed, struggling to move easily among comforter and blankets. It also didn't help that Hibari's bed was incredibly soft. Hibari rolled over when Tsuna climbed up, eyes opening a little. He murmured, and Tsuna smiled. He shifted so that he was laying next to Hibari, settled against him and running his fingers through Hibari's damp hair.

"Hey." Tsuna offered. Hibari was leaning into him, curling against Tsuna's chest. He made a noise. "You gotta get some food, Kyo."

"Don't wanna. 'f I get up 'll feel bad."

"Come on, handsome." Tsuna played with Hibari's hair.

"Look terrible." Tsuna pecked a kiss against his temple.

"Maybe, but I think you're handsome anyways." Hibari groaned against Tsuna's chest. Tsuna tugged on the sleeve to Hibari's shirt. "Come on. Food." He got Hibari out of bed and to the kitchen island, setting him in a chair. He was shivering, so Tsuna went and grabbed a blanket out of his room and wrapped him in it, fighting the urge to laugh at the image of his boyfriend who at that moment, looked pale and gaunt, swaddled in a blanket, glaring at him.

Tsuna got him some soup and pushed it towards him.

"Before you ask, I am going to sit here and watch you eat it." Hibari scowled back, but slowly brought the spoon to his mouth. Hibari ate the soup at a snail's pace, but nevertheless, finished it. He sat back in his chair, blinking at Tsuna. "Bed time?" Tsuna asked. Hibari frowned, but gave a sharp nod.

Tsuna got him back to bed and climbed in next to him; it was a king size bed, for sure. He settled in next to Hibari and got ready for the night; he had already texted his mother and his friends, letting them know where he was going to be for the night. Thankfully, it was a Thursday. Hibari would certainly miss Friday, and so would Tsuna, but Tsuna doubted he was going to be feeling better in two days. If this was anything like the flu Yamamoto had, the skylark would need more than a day's rest before he started feeling better.

So Tsuna wasn't at all surprised when Hibari sat up in the middle of the night. Tsuna snapped awake, barely registering what was going on, but immediately going to grab the trash can. He stuck it in front of Hibari, who vomited into it. Tsuna started rubbing circles on the skylark's back. It was a few more rounds of vomiting before Hibari settled back against the pillows, clearly exhausted.

And _ hot _.

Literally, _ burning up _ under Tsuna's hand. Tsuna gave him a quick kiss to the forehead and hustled to the bathroom, grabbing a washcloth and wetting it with cool water. He climbed back into the bed and pressed it to Hibari's forehead. His boyfriend closed his eyes and leaned back, shaking. Tsuna wrapped his arms around him. He did feel terrible, watching him like this. Thankfully, he had picked up some fever medication at the store.

But even after Tsuna forced Hibari to take it, and Tsuna felt he had waited an appropriate amount of time, with cool compresses in between, it felt like Hibari's fever had yet to break. Tsuna frowned.

"Kyo, you're still burning up." Hibari shook his head, curled up against Tsuna. "We might need to put you in a cool shower." Tsuna had already flicked on the ceiling fan a while ago.

"Tired." Hibari muttered, and Tsuna squeezed him against his chest.

"I know. But I'm worried."

"'ll be fine." Tsuna sighed, feeling Hibari already falling back asleep. He stayed up with him the rest of the night, switching out cold compresses. Hibari was restless, waking up periodically. He wasn't _ really _ awake though; he would wake up confused, shift, realize Tsuna was there and press his face into Tsuna's neck. Maybe mutter something before falling back asleep. Eventually, he stayed asleep and Tsuna followed soon after, refusing to look at the time on the clock, though he most certainly knew the sun was probably rising outside.

He woke up before Hibari did, immediately noticing how sweaty his boyfriend was, shivering next to him. Tsuna pressed his nose against Hibari's hair and sniffed. He wrinkled his nose. It wasn't that the bedding was soiled necessarily; but Hibari had been sweating on it all night and Tsuna was certain he would feel better going to sleep in freshly cleaned linens later that day. Tsuna slid out of the bed by the bottom, careful not to disturb Hibari. He started pulling the comforter off the bed, tucking Hibari in under the remaining blankets. He padded out into the hallway, searching for the laundry room. Naturally, he ran into Zhao.

"I was gonna wash his bedding." Tsuna said. Zhao held out his hand impatiently.

"I will get the wash started." Tsuna complied, and peered into the living room.

"Do you have any extra blankets?" Tsuna requested. Zhao just huffed and took the comforter, storming off. "Thank you!"

Tsuna also took the time to get some fruit ready for breakfast; he cut up some bananas and peeled some oranges, setting them aside for now. He made his way back to Hibari's room, where the older boy was starting to stir. Tsuna checked in on him, and then went to turn the shower on. He came back in and sat on the bed next to Hibari, taking his hand and gently rubbing his forearm.

"Tsunayoshi?"

"How are you feeling?" Tsuna asked him. Hibari didn't seem as feverish and out of it as he had been the day before, but when he shifted, he groaned.

"My body hurts." He admitted. Tsuna smoothed back the sweaty hair in Hibari's face.

"We're gonna get you in the shower and cleaned up, okay?" Hibari slowly sat up. Tsuna could see him pressing his lips together as he moved, presumably experiencing all the aches and pains that came with it. They got to the bathroom and Tsuna started stripping him, ignoring the discomfort on Hibari's face. Hibari pressed his nose against Tsuna's shoulder.

"You also need to shower." He muttered. Tsuna laughed.

"Is that your way of telling me I smell bad?" Tsuna teased him. He probably did; he had been in bed with Hibari all night.

"You do." Tsuna pulled away and started to guide Hibari into the shower, yanking down the older boy's boxers again. Hibari groaned. "This is humiliating."

"What is more humiliating is that you probably would have just laid in the bathroom for twelve hours until you felt better." Tsuna said. Hibari didn't dispute it. "I'll shower after you; just take your time." The skylark grabbed Tsuna's wrist.

"Shower with me." He said. Tsuna blinked.

"What?"

"You've already stripped me naked twice. Just shower with me." Hibari was right; and it wasn't like Hibari hadn't seen everything before. Sure, Tsuna had never been straight up _ naked _ around him, but Hibari had seen everything that mattered at one point or another. But it felt like a big step regardless. Hibari pulled on Tsuna's shirt, as if to punctuate his point.

"Fine." Tsuna decided. He pulled his shirt off over his head, and shoved his pants and boxers down, ignoring the burn in his cheeks. "Now get in the shower." He guided his smirking boyfriend in, to take a seat on the bench. Hibari leaned back and put his head against the wall, closing his eyes and letting the hot water hit him. Tsuna reached over to grab the shampoo on the bench, uncapping it. It smelled nice, like jasmine.

Hibari cracked an eye open and tilted his head towards Tsuna, looking up and down at him. There was a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Stop it." Tsuna said. "You'll embarrass me." He wasn't so pale and skinny as he had once been; training with Hibari for years meant that even though he was slight, he had some wiry muscles. Not like the skylark did, who admittedly cut quite a figure with broader, muscled shoulders down to a narrow waist, almost a perfect v-shape. Though, Tsuna had certainly been averting his eyes from what was between Hibari's legs; it felt awkward, certainly in this scenario.

"What do you have to be embarrassed about?" Hibari asked, blinking.

"I don't know!" Hibari snaked an arm around Tsuna's waist and let his head fall against the younger boy's shoulder.

"You're cute." Tsuna felt Hibari's hand running along his hip bone.

"And you're _ sick _, so don't try anything." Tsuna poured some shampoo into his hand, lathering it up and running his hands through Hibari's hair.

"I can do that, you know." Hibari muttered against Tsuna's shoulder.

"You cringe every time you move and fall asleep every ten minutes." Hibari made a noise into his shoulder. "Just relax. Let me take care of you."

"Hn." He felt Hibari's lips move against his shoulder. "You said you don't get sick?"

"I've never been sick." Tsuna said, as he finished shampooing his boyfriend's hair. "I don't think I _ can _ get sick. I never really thought much of it until all this. I didn't catch it when Takeshi had it either and I went to take care of him."

"You better not have taken care of him like this." Hibari muttered. Tsuna laughed, and rubbed his hands up and down Hibari's back.

"No. Nothing like this." As an afterthought, Tsuna poured some more shampoo into his hands and rubbed it into his own hair, before shifting both of them further under the water and washing it out. Tsuna grabbed the conditioner and felt Hibari suddenly lean into him more. He was falling asleep again. Tsuna smiled to himself and started working the conditioner into his boyfriend's hair. He heard the skylark mutter something, half-asleep. Tsuna couldn't tell if he wasn't speaking Japanese, or if it was just too quiet to understand. He caught the tail end of something familiar though.

"..Tsu..." While the conditioner washed out of Hibari's hair, Tsuna grabbed a bar of soap out of the corner and lathered up his hands, rubbing it along the chairman's shoulders and back. He washed his boyfriend up, smiling again when he felt Hibari's arms tighten around him.

Even when Tsuna had finished up, he let them just sit there for a few minutes, relaxing under the hot water, rubbing his hands along the chairman's back. It was a deeply intimate moment and Tsuna wanted to remember it.

Eventually, Tsuna shook his boyfriend awake. Hibari slowly lifted his head from Tsuna's shoulder, blinking. Tsuna pushed his wet hair out of his face.

"Let's go get some breakfast." Tsuna suggested. Hibari groaned. "You have to eat." He gently poked the older boy in the shoulder.

"Don't feel like it." Tsuna just levelled a look at him.

"You have to." He tugged on the older boy to try and get him up. Hibari resisted for a while, but eventually followed. Tsuna wrapped himself and Hibari in some fluffy towels, drying off Hibari's hair. The skylark just wrinkled his nose back, but allowed Tsuna to do so.

It took some time, but eventually Tsuna got Hibari dressed in some comfortable clothes and out to the kitchen. He noted that the bedding had been changed, thankfully. But Hibari was still not doing so well; when they got to the kitchen Hibari settled against the counter with his head down and stayed there while Tsuna prepared some eggs and toast to go with the fruit. He made Hibari eat some of everything, before pushing some medicine towards him.

"Don't need it." Hibari muttered.

"Your skin still hurts, right?" Miffed, Hibari took it, swallowing hard.

They settled into the living room for the rest of the day. Tsuna didn't want Hibari to lay in bed the entire time; he figured some sunlight would do him good, ignoring the muttered complaints as he pulled the curtains open. Hibari settled into the couch against Tsuna, petulant, but exhausted. Unsurprisingly, it took awhile to find something on TV that Hibari could stand to watch, even as he went in and out of consciousness for the next few hours.

They spent the rest of the day like that, Zhao popping in and out of the room, acting as if he had walked in by accident. Tsuna knew he was checking on Hibari, who spent most of the day asleep. It seemed the majority of the nausea had passed, until Hibari jerked awake at one point, swallowing. Thankfully, Tsuna forced some saltines and ginger ale down his throat and put a cool compress on his head, it eventually passed without Hibari throwing up again.

Once the sun began to set, Tsuna figured it would be time to put Hibari to bed soon. He was about to get them ready to go to bed when Zhao walked into the room, pressing a phone into Hibari's hands. Hibari jerked out of his half-conscious state, a brief look of confusion flitting across his eyes.

Zhao said something in Mandarin to Hibari, who blinked back and accepted the phone, holding it up to his ear. He was settled with his head on a pillow in Tsuna's lap, Tsuna rubbing his shoulder and hair. Tsuna looked to Zhao, tilting his head. He could vaguely hear a feminine voice on the phone, speaking in what he assumed to be Mandarin. Tsuna didn't understand it, certainly.

"Kyoya-sama's mother." Zhao said quietly. Hibari answered in short, curt sentences on and off. Tsuna sat there and tried to focus on what was going on on the TV. It's not like he could understand it anyways, but he felt like it was private. It wasn't a long conversation, but when it ended and Hibari handed the phone back to Zhao, Tsuna couldn't help but be curious.

"Is everything alright?" He asked quietly. Hibari shifted in Tsuna's lap.

"Yes." He responded, yawning. "It was my mother calling. She wanted to speak to me." Tsuna desperately wanted to know what, but pressed his lips together and nodded. His boyfriend rolled his eyes. "You can ask."

"I know you don't normally like talking about your family." Tsuna confessed.

"If you would like to know, I will tell _ you _."

"What did she want to talk to you about?" Tsuna asked, trying to not seem so eager. Hibari definitely could tell.

"She wanted to know if I needed anything. If I was being well taken care of. If not, she would come to Namimori." Tsuna couldn't help but feel that he was being scrutinized intensely by the Hibari clan at that moment. It wouldn't surprise him in the slightest; he knew his boyfriend well and Hibari was a harsh judge of character. Tsuna smoothed down the skylark's hair.

"And are you? Being well taken care of."

"Yes." Hibari responded, yawning again. "I do not want my mother here in the slightest."

"Are you sure?" Tsuna knew that Hibari didn't feel the same way he did about a lot of things, but Tsuna was hardly a substitute for the older boy's parents.

"I hardly think you would have agreed to shower with me if my mother was here." Hibari said dryly.

"You're absolutely right." Tsuna said.

"Nothing happened." Hibari reminded him. He ran a hand along Tsuna's knee. There really had been _ nothing _ sexual about showering together and Tsuna was well aware of that. Hibari was surprisingly cuddly, not just while sick, but in general. And sure, it sometimes turned to more, but Tsuna had been shocked to discover over the course of their relationship that Hibari just liked to curl up near Tsuna. He truly was like a cat.

"Am I being tested?" Tsuna asked. "By your family?"

"Obviously."

"What if they don't like me?" Tsuna wanted to know.

"I do not act based on the opinion of my family." His boyfriend said sleepily. "And I am not expected to."

"But what if they don't _ like _ me?"

"What does it matter?" Hibari said.

"They're people who are important to you." Tsuna said. "It matters to me if they like me or not."

"You're important to me." Hibari yawned. "Are we going to bed or not?" He demanded. Tsuna rubbed his neck absently.

"You're so bossy." Hibari shrugged.

That night was better; Tsuna forced Hibari to take some medication before bed, worried about his fever returning. It did help, though Hibari's fever came back intermittently throughout the night. Tsuna stayed up most of the night with him, keeping a cool compress on his head. Hibari was coughing as well, so Tsuna spent some time getting the humidifier together in the middle of the night and rubbing Hibari's chest and back. The next day seemed better; he wasn't experiencing the same level of aches and pains as before. Tsuna stayed with him throughout and continued to take care of him regardless, though. While he was certain Hibari could technically get himself food and make himself tea, and his boyfriend certainly snapped at him for taking over his house, he still needed to rest and Tsuna wanted to help him.

By the end of Saturday, Hibari was awake and alert. He was tired, but feeling mostly better. At the end of the day, Tsuna was laying in Hibari's bed, equally exhausted. He stretched out, settling against the comforter and plush pillows. Hibari had been washing his face in the bathroom, insisting he could do that on his own. Tsuna yawned. Hopefully, tonight would mean no fever, no coughing, and just a good night's sleep. Hibari hadn't had a fever since the night before.

"Comfortable?" Tsuna turned mid-yawn to see Hibari leaning against the door frame. He looked better, with more color back in his cheeks. HIs hair had dried a little rumpled and Tsuna couldn't help but think it was a little cute. "You can go to sleep." Hibari said. "I'll survive." Tsuna shook his head.

"Not until you do." Hibari padded over and climbed on from the bottom of the bed. Tsuna went to sit up, but a strong hand gently pushed him back onto the bed. "I-," Hibari climbed onto him and kissed him gently. He felt one of Hibari's hands slip under his shirt and onto his ribcage, gently rubbing it.

When his boyfriend pulled back he muttered something and Tsuna caught it again.

"Did you just call me Tsu?" He asked. Hibari blinked at him.

"Would you prefer I didn't?" Tsuna felt his cheeks flush.

"No, I...don't mind. I was just wondering." The skylark pecked his cheek and then shifted downwards, to kiss his neck and collarbone softly. "You're still sick." Tsuna said worriedly, reaching one hand up to Hibari's hair. "You should be resting."

"I'm not straining myself." Hibari rucked up the front of his shirt and ran his hands up and down Tsuna's torso. They were warm, but Tsuna shivered. Hibari lowered himself and planted a kiss on Tsuna's stomach. Hibari was being...soft.

Tsuna let his head fall back as Hibari kissed up and down his stomach. He felt his boyfriend tug on his pants so he could kiss near Tsuna's hipbone. Tsuna shifted his legs a little, propping them with his knees up so Hibari could settle between his legs. He let Hibari continue for a while, smiling to himself. They were soft, light kisses, his lips pressed to Tsuna's stomach. Finally, Tsuna propped himself up on his elbows.

"What's going on?" He asked. Hibari lifted his head and looked up. He moved forward a little, setting his arms on either side of Tsuna and his chin on Tsuna's stomach. His grey eyes were softer than usual.

"Nothing."

"You don't have to do something to...pay me back or whatever. I wanted to take care of you." Tsuna insisted.

"I know. I love you."

Tsuna's eyes must have widened to the size of dinner plates. Hibari just shrugged and went back to what he was doing without so much as blinking an eye.

"Wait, _ what _?" Tsuna's voice was higher pitched than he intended it to be. Hibari huffed against his stomach and raised his head.

"Yes?"

"You can't just do that!" Tsuna said.

"Do what?" Tsuna flicked Hibari's head lightly.

"You know what I'm talking about." Tsuna said. "You just told me you loved me. And then didn't even wait for me to respond!" Hibari rolled his eyes.

"Wait for what? For you to tell me you love me as well? Of course you love me. You love strangers off the street." Hibari said. Tsuna flushed.

"I have a big heart, I can't help it."

"I know. That's why I love you, even if I think it's stupid." Hibari said. "It is not lost on me that you hold different...strengths than I do."

"I love you too. I want to say that." Tsuna said. Hibari snorted, tilting his head to the side. Tsuna felt his hands on his ribcage, rubbing his thumb across them.

"I know you do."

XXXX

Okay so there is potentially a not-so-safe for work second part of this but IDK if people wanted it so just let me know what you're thinking.


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